Vessel-capping machine



Dec. I6, 1930. ci 1 TURNER 1,785,235

l VESSEL CAPPING MACHINE.

- Filed March 5. 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 /05' wf M TTORN'H Dec. 16, 193i).c. l.. TURNER vEssEL CAPPING MACHINE Filedl March 5. 1927 4 Sheets-SheetA 7' TORNLY.

Dec.' 16, 1930. C, l TURNER 1,785,235

VESSEL CAPPING MACHINE Filed March 5. 1927 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 ATTORNEXPatented Dec. 16, 1930 CHARLES L. TURNER, orLosANeELRs, CALIFORNIA,AssrcNoR croira-HALF ro FRDIV HARRIS, OFjLOS ANGELES, `CALIFORNIAVESSEL-caprine MACHINE Application filed March 5,

My invention relates" to vessel capping machines and more particularlytoa machine adapted to apply flexible caps to milknbottles and the like.

In United states Patent No. 1,659,177,

granted to me on February 14, 1928, I secured protection upon a. stringplaced beneath the cap of a milk bottle so that the ends protrude andmay be grasped tovremove the cap. In l0 my co-pending application SerialNo. 111,262,

filed May 24, 1926, I showed a bottle capping.,

machine whichl applied' caps to bottles and at the same time placed astring,'in the man- 'ner disclosed in said. patent, under each cap as itwas applied. Y

It is the broad objectof my invention to provide a novel capping machinewhich will perform the function of the machine shown in said co-pendingapplication. in a more efcient and satisfactory manner. In anotherco-pending application, Seria No. 17 9,605, filed March 30, 1927, I haveshown anovel vessel cappinghmachine in which a rotary capfeeder isembodied and it is an object of my invention to employ said rotary capfeeder tofeed a` string beneath each cap fed into position beneath acapping i plunger. n

It is a further object of my invention to provide a capping Vmachine inwhich said string is wound upon said rotary feeder in a manner to drawsaid string from a string magazine. y

Another object of my invention is to provide a capping machine in whicharotary feeder carries positioning means, for string so wound, wherebysuccessive pieces of said string are positioned respectively beneathcaps taken successively by said feeder from 4o acap magazine. r v

Yet another object of my invention is to provide a capping machine inwhich said pieces are successively cut from said string as they arecarried beneath said cap into the path of said capping plunger.

rIn many machines which handle string, the string is cut by shearsVwhich become dull rather quickly dueto the inter-actionof the cuttingblade with another piece of metal.

It is an object of my invention to provide 1927. serial No. 173,030.

a cutter for string, tape and the like in which theknife does notcontact anything butthe material to be cut. n I Y, n y

The cutting of `fibrous material lis accomplished with much less energyor dulling of .the cutting blade Where the materiali is'un-' dertension. y Y

It is another object of my inventionto provide a cutter for string, tapeand thelike Vin which the material is placed under tension and thenmoved into'contact with a knife., V. f,

In places wherethe cuttingof `string Vis necessary it is often desirablethat no knife or cutting edge be exposed whenfthecutting operation isnot taking place.

It is therefore a further object ofmy vention to provide a cutterforstring-and the likev in which the knife is cealed within a non-cuttinglmember which yields to pressure of another noncutting member to bringthe knifeinto engagement with the material to be cut.

Furtherzobjects and `advantages ivill'fbe made manifest in thefollowing' description and in the accompanying drawings, in which Fig. 1is a embodiment of the capping machineV of my invention with the cappingplunger in its upward position relative to the body' ofthe machine. i

Fig. 2 is a horizontalsectiona-l view taken on the line 2-2 of Fig. 1showing the capping machine substantially in plan.

Fig. 3 is a fragmentary perspective view illustratng the connectionbetween the cutter slide bar and the capping plunger.

Fig. 4 is a vertical medial sectional view taken on the line 4 4 of Fig.12.

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic view showing the surface of the cam rotor of myinvention in development.

Fig. 6 is aperspectiveviewof the cam follower screw.

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 4 showing the capping plunger inV itsloivermost or capping position.

Fig. 8 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 8 8 of Fig. 7and showing the rotarycap feeder of the machine in top plan. Fig. 9 is ahorizontal view looking upward normally con l perspective View of apreferred on the line 9-9 of Fig. 7 showing the rotary feeder in bottomplan.

Fig. 10 is a detailed vertical sectional view taken on the line 10-10 ofFig. 9.

Fig. 11 is an enlarged fragmentary perspective view illustrating adetail of the rotary feeder.

Fig. 12 is a side elevational view of the capping machine taken on theopposite side from that disclosed in Fig. 1.

Fig. 13 is a plan view of the base member of the machine.

Fig. 14 is an enlarged vertical sectional view taken on the line 14-14of Fig. 13 and illustrating the string cutter.

Fig. 15 is an enlarged fragmentary detailed view illustrating thecutting of the string by the cutter.

Figs. 16 and 17 are vertical sectional views taken on correspondinglynumbered lines of Fig. 4.

The capping machine 2O is mounted upon a capping machine reciprocator 21which is reciprocated vertically over a fixed path by a suitable powermechanism, not shown. the reciprocator 21 moves up and down, the cappingmachine 2O is adapted to more with the reciprocator and does notfunction unless a bottle 22 is placed in the proper positiontherebeneath. When a bottle 22 is properly placed beneath the cappingmachine, the machine moves into contact with a bead 23 surrounding themouth of the bottle and applies a cap 24 by inserting it in the mouth ofthe bottle. As the cap 24 is applied, a string 25 is placed by themachine 2O between the bottle and the cap, as clearly shown in Fig. 1.The capping machine 2O may be described as follows:

A slide frame 30 has a vertical plate 31 which is secured to thereciprocator 21 as by cap screws 32. Formed at the upper end of theplate 31 is a projection V33 which has a suitable vertical aperture 34.Extending from the lower end of the plate 31 is a guideyoke 36 whichprovides opposed arms 37 and 38 in which guideways 39 and 40 are formedwhich are diametrically opposed to each other upon opposite sides of thevertical axis of the aperture 34. A capping plunger 44, as shown inFigs. 1 and 4, includes a square plunger body 45 having polished sidefaces, from which body a cylindrical neck 47 extends downward andreceives at its lower end a capping plunger head 48. A plunger springstem 52 extends upward from the square body 45 in axial alignment withthe body 45 and the neck 47. The stem 52 has a pin hole 53 at its upperend and is adapted to receive a compression spring 55. rlhe upper end ofthe stem 52 is inserted upward through the hole 34 so as to compress thespring 55, and a suitable pin 56 is then inserted in the hole 53 toretain the stem 52 against withdrawal from the hole 34.

The square body 45 has a recess 60 formed in the inner side of the lowerend thereof and which is adapted to receive a stop block 61. The stopblock 61 has a cutter actuating arm 62 formed integrally therewith, asclearly shown in Fig. 3, for a purpose to be described later. The squareplunger body 45 and the stop block 61 are provided with aligned openings63 and 64. The hole 64 is threaded so as to threadedly receive a camfollower screw 65 which is adapted to pass freely through the hole 63without engagement with the walls thereof. rl`he cam follower screw 65is slotted at 66 for manipulation by a screw driver, and has a camfollower pin 67 pro vided upon its opposite end eccentric with the axisof the screw, as clearly shown in Fig. 6. The screw 65 is adapted to beinserted through the hole 63 and screwed in the hole 64 until the camfollower pin projects beyond the inner surface of the stop block 61, asshown in Fig. 4. A nut 68 is then adapted to be screwed upon the outerend of the screw 65 and tightened against the outer face of the squareplunger body 45. When the nut 68 is thus tightened to Secure the screwin place, the cam follower pin 67 may be disposed at an adjustableposition relative to the vertical medial plane of the machine upon whichthe sectional view shown in Fig. 4 is taken. The et purpose of thisadjustment will be described later.

The capping machine 20 has a body 70 which includes a main casting 71and a base member 72 which are associated in a manner ,.g-

to be described later. The casting 71 is best illustrated in Figs. 1, 2,3, and 12 and includes an upper floor 75, an intermediate floor 76, anda lower floor 77. These floors are connected at their side portions bymain slide bars 79 and 80 which accurately fit the diametrically opposedguideways 39 and 40. At the opposite end of the upper floor 75 from theconnection of this floor with the slide bars 79 and 80 a cap magazinereceptacle 82 is n formed which is substantially cylindrical in shapeand has a cylindrical cavity 83 in which a tubular paper magazine 84 ofbottle caps 24 is adapted to lit. rl`he cylindrical cavity 83 extendsdownward to a magazine tube seat 85 from which a cap conveying bore 86extends downward and inward into com munication with the lower face ofthe lower floor 77 A peek slot 87 is formed in the wall iii",

of `the receptacle 82 while a peelr hole 88 is e provided in the wall ofthe bore 86. These peek holes are for the purpose of obtaininginformation as to the number of caps remaining in the machine.

The intermediate floor 76 is formed integrally at one end with themagazine receptacle 82 and the other end is connected with the lowerfloor 77 by a plunger head cylinder 90. rI`he cylinder 90 has a bore 91of sufficient diameter that the plunger head 48 may reciprocate'vertically therein, the` bore 91 terminating at the lower surface of theintermediate oorf76 and opening downward through. the lower floor 77. Ahole a'. is formed in the cylinder .90 through which to observethe-'action of the plunger head 48 in the bore 91.. The bore 91 isdisposed on the axis of the cappingrplunger 44 and a hole 92 in thevintermediate floor 76 is adapted to slidably receivethe plungerneck 47so that the neck 47 may actuate -the plunger head 48 in the cylinderbore cess 95is formed in the opposite end of the upper floor 75 fromwhere this connects with the magazine receptacle82, the recess 95slidably fitting three side faces of the square plunger body 45. A'guide block 96 is secured by screws to this end of the upper floor 75 soas to slidably engage a fourth side face of the square plunger body 45.The square plunger body thus slidably engages the upper floor 75 but isprevented from rotation relative to the body 70.` The block 96 has aneck 98 extending arcuately away fromthe machine bodyV (0, the neck 98having a cylindrical string magazine shell 100 formed thereon. Theshell`100 has a wall 101 closing one endthereof, thewall 101 having acentral, apertured boss 102 provided on the Vouter surface thereof. Theopposite end of the shell 100 from the wall 101 is open and is 'adaptedto receive a cap 103. The cap 103 is provided with a knob 104 for themanipulation ofthe same,

and a stein 105 which is of sufficient length to pass through a ball ofstring 106 and, ex-

tending the length of the shell 100, projects into the apertured boss102. The shell 100 has -an opening 108 through which astring 109 `isadapted to be drawn from the ball 106.

A hole is formed downward through the main slide bar 80, the string 109being adapted to be drawn downward through the hole 110 and out from thelower end thereof as shown in Fig. 1.

The casting 71 is solid between the cylinder 90 and thecap conveyingbore 86 and a cam roller stem bore is formed in the casting to extendbetween the upper face of the intermediate floor 76 and the lowerface ofthe. lower floor 77 substantially parallel with the axis of the cappingplunger 44. The upper end of the bore 115 has an enlarged counterbore116.V The upper floor 75 Vhas a bore 117 axially aligned with and sub-`stantially of the same size as the 'counter- `bore 116 and whichextends entirely through Y the upper floor 7 5;

A cam rotor 120 has a substantially cylindrical cam body 121 and a rotorstem 122 extending axially from the lower end ofthe body and a pin 123extending axially from the upper end thereof.` The rotor'body 121 is ofslightly less diameter than the opening 117 in the upper floor 75 andwhenthe rotor 120 is inserted downward .through the opening 117, thestem 122 lis ournalled in the bore 115. Before the rotor is thusinserted into the opening 117 an anti-friction thrust bearing 125 isplaced in the counterbore 116 and when the cam rotoris in place it issup-` portedfupon .this bearing. An anti-friction bearing 126 is adaptedto tthe pin 123 of :therotor 120 and be disposed in the upper positionthe upper bearing 126 so that the rotor`f120is accurately vheld againstaxial movement relative to the capping machine body 70. Cam grooves 130are provided in the outer surface of the cam roller 120 and are of suchwidth as to receive the cam follower pin 67, as shown in` Fig. 4. Thesegrooves provide cam surfaces, the function of which willbedescribedlater. i

The lowerend 131 of the rotor stem 122, where this projects below thelower floor 77, is polygonal in `cross-section, this in the presentinstance being triangular.

lOn the side of the capping machine which is A'visible in Fig." 12, theupper floor 75 is provided with a projection 133 which has a recess 134formed therein. The materialof vthe casting 71i extends upward from theintermediatefloor 76 just vbelow the projectively. The guide blocks 138and 140 have recesses 143 which cooperate with the rej cesses 134 and137 to form slideways in which a cutter 'slide bar 144 is slidablyreceived., The slide bar 144 has a notch 146 into which the cutteractuating arm 62 extends so that any vertical movement of the plunger 44is transmitted to the cutter slide'vbar 144. The cutter slide Vbar has afoot 147 provided upon its lower end, from the outer end of which agripping member 148` extends downward..

e gripping member 148 has a slot 149 formed centrally upward in itslower end and the lower end of the member 148 is bev- Veled upward onopposite sides of the slot 149 to provide converging faces 150. Thefaces 150 meet the faces of the slot 149 to form contacting edges 151.

The lower floor 77 is provided with dowel pin holes 152 and 153 on t-hemedial vertical sectional plane of the view shown in Fig 4 near the endsof the lower floor. On

oppositev sides of the dowel pin hole 152 are formed ,threaded holes155. On eachside of the dowel pin hole 153 is formed a bore 156.

The base member 72 is of substantially the Vsame lengthas theylowerkfloor 77 and has vlower walls 159 and` 160 extending upward fromits opposite ends. The walls 159 and 160 are of the same height anddowel pins 161 and 162 are centrally provided to project upward fromthese walls so as to be received in the dowel pin holes 152 and 153respectively in order to accurately position the base member 72 relativeto the body casting 71. Counterbored holes 165 are formed in the basemember 72 so as to-be aligned with the holes 155 of the lower floor 77and screws 166 are adapted to be extended upward in the holes 165 andscrew into the threaded holes 155 so that the heads of the screws 166are received into the counterbored portions of the holes 165, as clearlyshown in Fig. 16.

Threaded holes 167 are adapted to be formed in the base member 72 onopposite sides of the dowel pin 162 so as to be aligned with the holes156 formed in the lower floor 77. A string guiding eye 170 is formed atthe end of a strap 171 having screw holes through which cap screws 172are adapted to pass into the holes 156 and be threadedly received intothe holes 167, as clearly shown in Fig. 17.

lVhen the base member 72 is thus secured in place upon the body casting71, a linger hole 175 which is formed in the base member 72 is disposedaxially beneath the lower mouth of the bore 86. A cylindrical recess 176is formed in the upper face of the base member 72 in axial alignmentwith the cam rotor 120. A cylindrical plunger mouth 177 extendsvertically through the base member 72 in axial alignment with theplunger 44. rEhe lower portion of this mouth 17 7 is counterbored toform a frusto-conical bottle guiding mouth 178.

A recess 18() is formed in the upper face of the base member 72, asclearly shown in Figs. 13 and 14. The recess 180 is joined by a slot 181at one end thereof with the plunger mouth 177. A leaf spring 182 havingsubstantially the same outline as the recess 180 is disposed therein andhas an end 183 thereof secured against the bottom surface 184 of therecess 180 by a cap screw 185 which is threadedly received in a suitablehole 186 formed in the base member 72. rlhe spring 182 is bent upwardfrom the portion 183 and is then rebent so that the opposite end portion187 is adapted, when the spring is slightly compressed downward, asshown in Fig. 14, to be disposed with its upper face on a level with theupper face of the base member 72. A boss 190 is formed upon the lowerface of the spring 182 near the center thereof, this boss being`provided with a threaded aperture 191, and a counterbored hole 192 isformed upward in the base member 72 and a machine screw 193 is insertedupward into the hole 192 and screwed into the threaded aperture 191 ofthe spring 182. As shown in Fig. 14, the screw 193 thus limits theupward movement of the spring 182, but permits this spring to bedepressed downward, as shown by the dotted lines 195.

A knife blade 196 is provided upon the end of a plate 197 so that whenthe plate 197 is rigidly secured against the bottom surface 184 of theslot 180 by machine screws 199, as shown in Fig. 14, the edge of theknife blade 196 will be disposed opposite the center axis of and justbeneath a slot 200 which is diagon ally formed in the free end of thespring 182. When the spring 182 is depressed into the position 195, theedge of the knife blade 196 projects upward through the slot 200 withouttouching the spring 182.

The slot 149 in the string-gripping member 148 is narrower than the slot200 in the spring 182, and the string-gripping member 148 is adapted tomove downward so that the contacting edges 151 pass between the edges210 of the slot 200` as shown in Fig. 15. If a string is disposed acrossthe path of the string-gripping member 148, it will be gripped, as shownin Fig. 15, between the faces 150 and the edges 210 of the slot 200.rlfhe portion of the string disposed between the edges 151 will be heldtaut. Due to the slot 149 being aligned with the slot 200, it is also inalignment with the knife blade 196 and as the string-gripping member 148continues downward from the position in which it is shown in Fig. 15,the knife blade 196 eX- tends upward into the slot 149, easily severingthe string.

When the base member 72 is assembled upon the lower floor 77, the lowerfloor 77 and the upper face of the base member 72 are parallel and forma flat space 212 in which a rotary feeder 213 is disposed. rThe rotaryfeeder 213 is in the form of a disc which has a central polygonalopening 214 which fits the polygonal end 131 of the rotor stem 132. Thefeeder 213 is then held in place upon the lower end of the rotor stem122 by a washer 215 and a screw 216 which extends upward through thewasher and is screwed into a threaded hole provided centrally in thelower end 131 of the stem 122. The recess 176 in the upper face of thebase member 72 provides a space in which the washer 215 is disposed whenthe machine is assembled. The rotary feeder 213 when thus mounted uponthe lower end of the rotor stem 122 has opposite portions thereofdisposed adjacent to the lower end of the cap bore 86 and to the plungerhead bore 91 respectively. The upper face of the feeder 213 makes asliding fit with the lower face of the lower floor 77 f A series ofholes 220 are formed vertically through the feeder disc 213, these beinguniformly slightly less in diameter than the diameter of the caps 24 andare symmetrically arranged about the center of vthe feeder 213. In thepresent instance, there are three of the holes 220. Counterbores 221 areformed in the upper end of the holes 220 having the Vouter end www.

saine diameter and the samedepth as one ofV formed vertically throughthe feeder213, and

are symmetrically disposed about the center of the feeder equidistantfrom the holes 220.

The lower portion of the feeder 213 is machined away near the periphery"thereof to form a periph-eral portion 225which is thinner than thecentral feederportion 226 which remains Va maximum thickness andA makesa sliding iit with theupper face `of the base member 72. The centralportion 226 is turned away adjacent to the holes 220 for a purpose to bedescribed later. y In a given' direction from each of the holes 224, thecentral thicker portion 226-of the feeder 213 extends outward betweenthat hole 224 vand an adjacent hole 22,0 toform a shoulder 227. On theopposite side of each hole 224 the thickened feeder portion 226 is cutaway closer to the center of the feeder to form a spring finger abuttingshoulder 228. Spring ngers 230 have downward curved portions 231andtheir opposite ends 232 are square so as to be adapted .to abutagainst the shoulders 228. A washer 233 is placed between the lowerface-234 of the peripheral feeder ortion 225 and the square end 232 ofthe 'nger 230, and a machine screw 236 is extend-ed through the finger230 and the washer 233, and is screwed into a suitable thread-ed hole237 formed in the feeder 213, as clearly shown in F ig. 10.

The washers 233 are of such thickness that a stringvof suitable diameterwill be yieldably gripped when placed between a finger 230 and thesurface 234. As clearly shown in Figs'. 1, 2,'8 and 9, tliestring 109which is unwound from the ball 106 inthe string magazine 100 is adaptedto be drawn through the hole 110 and the eye 170 and be wound about theshoulders 227 and the washers 233 next to the surface 234 of the feederv213. In order to thus wind the string 109 upon the feeder 213, thefeeder is adapted to rotate in the direction `of the arrow 240. IVhenthe string 109 is thus wound vupon the feeder 213, portions 241of thisstring are disposed so that one of these portions is positioneddiametrically across the lower end of each of the holes 220. Portions242 of the string 109, which are disposed between the portions 241,extend diametrically across the lower end of each of the holes 224. Y

The operation of my machine is as follows:

bore`86, a cap drops multiplied three times.

Y from the position 250 As before stated the capping function of themachine does'not take place'nnless a bottle 22 is suitably chinereciprocator A21. The body ofthe machine is vertically slidable relativetofthe slide-frame 30 and the capping'plunger'44, between the downwardposition excepting placed that the 'anengages the bottle and stops thebodys 44 continues 'downward under the yieldablepressure of thespring55. This relativemovement between the plunger and the rotor1720,"mounted against axial displacement on the body 7 0, operates-therotary feeder 213 in the following manner:

f lVV-hen `thecapper body is in its lowerposition, the cam follower-pin67 has 'the position" 250 shown in full, lines in Fig. 5. At this timeone of the holes 220 in the rotary feeder 213 is opposite the capbore'86 and has here received a cap in its counterbore.` Another of theholes 220 is empty and is disposed so that a 120 rotation ofthefeeder'in the direction of arrow 240 will bring that hole into alignment withthe cap conveying bore86. The third hole 220 carriesafcap'in itscounterbore and is disposed so that a 60 positioned therebeneath as themachine descends downward with vthe` vertical reciprocating movement ofthe maposition of the body, where it is shown in Figs. 1, 3, 4, and 7,and Vtheupward position of the body which is shown in Figs. 7 and v12.`The body 70 :re-V

y When this occurs the f rotation of the feeder in the direction of thearrow 240 will bring the third hole into alignment with the plunger headbore 91.

The cam grooves 130, as shownin development in ldig. 5, constitute asingle-cycle cam In each cycle the cam follower-pin 67is adapted to movefrom the position 250 downward to the position 251 and return to aposition 252, which corresponds to the position "250 for the nextsucceeding cycle. Considering the cycle to commence with the contact ofthe bottle-guidingmouth 178 with the bottle 22 and the consequent.beginning of a downwardV movement by the plunger 44, relative to thebody 70, the cam follower-pin 67 hereleaves the position 250 andcontacts a cam slot surface 253 which causes the cam rotor 120 to rotateuntil the follower-.pin 67 has reached the position 254 where it isdisposed between the walls of a cam slot 255 which isinverticalparallelism with the axis ofthe rotor 12,0. In moving to theposition 254, the camfollower-pin 67 has caused the feeder to rotate 60.This brings the third mentioned of the openings 220, chargedwith a cap,into alignment with the plunger head bore 91. As the plunger continuesdownward after the cam follower-pin 67 has reached the position 254, thefeeder v213 is held tin position so that the plunger' head 48 willengage the cap 24 disposed in its path and will pass through the hole22() in which this cap rests to the p0- sition in which it is shown inFig. 7 where the plunger forces the cap 24 into the mouth of the bottle22. Bottles 22 are so positioned vertically that the plunger 44 arrivesat capping position` when the machine reciprocator 21 reaches the lowerend of its downward movement. The extreme downward position of theplunger head 48 relative to the body 70 is determined by contact of thestop block 61 against the upper surface of the intermediate floor 78. Asthe reciprocator 21 returns upward the plunger 44 is raised from theposition in which it is shown in Fig. 7 and the cam follower-pin 67rises from the position 251 to the position 258 in which it engages thecam surface 259. During the final upward portion of the movement of theplunger 44 relative to the body 70, the cam follower-pin 67 moves fromthe position 258 to the position 252. This movement of the camfollower-pin 67 causes another 69Q rotation of the rotor 120 and therotor feeder 218. This 60o rotation added to the 60 rotation which tookplace on the downward stroke of the plunger 44 brings the empty hole220, first referred to as such above, into alignment with the cap bore86 so that this hole receives a cap. As before mentioned, the camsurfaces 258 and 259 and the cam slot 255 are triplicated about thesurfaces of the rotor 120 so that for each downward and upward movementof the plunger 44 the rotary feeder 213 is rotated 12()o in thedirection of the arrow 240 and a. cap is fed into the path of theplunger head 48 in the manner above described.

As the plunger 44 moves downward in a capping movement, it is thus seenthat the feeder 213 is moved during the first portion of the downwardmovement of the plunger into the position in which the feeder is shownin Figs. 8 and 9. lllhenever the feeder 218 is in this position one ofthe holes 224 is disposed directly beneath the string-gripping member148 so that as this moves downward with the plunger 44 it will passdirectly through this hole 224 and into the relation with the cutterspring 182 in which it is shown in Figs. 12 and 15. As shown in Figs. 8and 9, the extreme end portion 242 of the string` 109 has its extremity260 held beneath one of the yieldable lingers 230 so that the piece ofstring 241 is extended across beneath the cap that lies in the path oftheplunger head. As the plunger moves into engagement with the cap itforces the eXtreme end piece 241 downward with the cap toward the mouthof the bottle 22. Concurrent with the final downward cap movement of theplunger head 248, the string-gripping member 148 moves downward throughthe position shown in Fie. 15 which results in the cutting of theextreme end piece 241 from the string at 262, as shown in Fig. 9. Thisextreme end piece of string is now held only by the gripping of itsextremity 260 beneath one of the fingers 280. The friction with whichthis extremity 260 is held by the single finger 230 is insufficient toprevent its being withdrawn from beneath this linger 230 when thecapping machine 2O rises from engagement with the bottle 22. Thus eachpiece of string 241 is placed beneath a cap when this is being appliedto the bottle and is cut off so that the friction with which the stringis engaged between the cap and the bottle will easily draw this piece ofstring from under a finger 230 against the slight yieldable pressurewith which it is held by this finger.

An adjustment of the screw 65 changing the position of the camfollower-pin projecting eccentrically therefrom, causes a change 1n theposition of the rotary feeder 218 for a given vertical relation betweenthe plunger 45 and the machine body 70. This adjustment makes itpossible to determine accurately whether the feeder 213 will be sorotated by engagement of the cam rotor 120 by the follower-pin 67 that ahole 22() will be in correct axial alignment with the plunger head 48during` the lower portions of its downward and upward movements.

The central thicker portion of the rotary feeder 218 is turned awayadjacent to the holes 220 to permit each cap to expand equally in alldirections as it leaves the lower mouth of a hole 220 under pressure ofthe ilunger head 48. lf the cap were permitted to expand in onedirection and not in the opposite direction, it would tend to throwitself out of vertical alignment with the plunger head 48.

T claim as my invention:

1. Tn a vessel capping machine, the combination of: a magazine forstoring caps; a capping member movable toward a vessel for capping thesame; a rotatable member for feeding a cap from said magazine intoposition between said capping member and said vessel g means upon saidrotatable member for extending a string between said cap and saidvessel; and means for cutting a piece from said string.

2. In a vessel capping machine, the combination of: a magazine forstoring caps; a capping member movable toward a vessel for capping thesame; a rotatable member for feeding a cap from said magazine intoposition between said capping member and said vessel; means upon saidrotatable member for extending a string between said cap and saidvessel; and means for cutting a piece from said string, said rotatablemember being rotated and said cutting means actuated by said movement ofsaid capping member.

3. In a vessel capping machine, the combilll) lil@

nationof: a magazine `for storing caps; a'

plunger reciprocable in a 'given path; a rol tatable feeder forreceiving caps from said magazine and forfcarrying them'successivelyinto said path; vmeans upon said -feeder to engage and draw` a strinerinto such position relative to said feeder that pieces of said stringare disposed beneath said caps received by said feeder; and means forcutting o each of said pieces 4from said string. Q,

4. In a vessel capping machine, the'comb ination of: a magazineforstoring caps;

a plunger `reciprocable in a given path; a rotatable feeder forreceivingcaps from said magazine and for carrying them successively into` saidpath; means upon" said feeder to engage and draw a string int-osuchposition relative` to saidv feeder that pieces of said stringa-redisposed beneathsaidcaps received by said feeder and means for cuttingoff each ofsaid pieces from saidstring When it is disposed, With thecapabove it, in said plunger path.

5; In afvessel capping machine, the combi#l nation of: a magazinev for'storing caps; aplungervreciprocable in agiven path; a ro' tatableVfeeder for receiving caps from said magazine and lfor-carrying themsuccessively into4 said path; `means upon "said feeder to engage anddravv a stringinto lsuoli position relative to said feeder that piecesof said string are disposed beneath said caps received by said feeder;and means `for cutting offVV each of said pieces from said string, saidcut. ting means being actuated by said plunger.

6. In a vesseljcapping machine, ythe combination of: a magazine forstoring caps; a plungerreciprocable in a given path; a rotatable feederfor receiving caps` from said magazine and for carrying themsuccessively into said path; means upon said feeder to engage andVVdravv a string 'into such position relative to 'said feeder thatpieces of said" string are disposed beneathsaid `caps received by saidfeeder aand means for cuttingoif'ea'ch of said `pieces from said stringafter it 'has been so disposed with the. cap above it, in said plungerpath, said cutting means being actuated by-saidplungerV v ,Y v

7. In a vessel capping machine,the combination of: a'V magazine forstoring'caps; a

plunger reciprocable'in'a given path; a'ro,y

rently/With engagementof :lsaid cap Aby said plunger reciprocable in agiven path; a rotatable feederfor receiving caps from said magazine andfor carrying them successively `into said path; means upon said feederto engage and draw a string into such position -Yrelative to said feederthat pieces ofsaid stringere disposed beneath said caps received by saidfeeder; string-gripping members in'- cluding a stationary member and atravelling member adapted to press said string against said stationarymember; and a cutting mem- Y ber adapted to cut said string upon arelative movement between said cutting member and said gripping memberswhen the latter are gripping said string.V

9. Ina vessel capping machine, the combi nation of: a magazine forstoring caps; a,

plunger reciprocable in a given path; a rotatable feeder for receivingcaps from said magazine and forcarrying them successively engage anddraw a strlnginto such positionA into said path; means upon said feederto relative to said feeder that pieces of said string are disposedbeneath said caps received by said feeder; string-gripping membersincluding a stationary member and a travelling member connected to saidplunger and adapted to presssaid string against said stationary memberupon a given movement of said plunger; and a'cutting `member'adapted tocut said string upon a relative movement between said cutting member andsaid gripping members When the latter are gripping said string. Y. v

l0. In a vessel capping machine, the combi nation of: a magazine `forstoring caps; a plunger reciprocable in a given path; a' rotatablefeeder for receiving caps from said magazine and for carrying themsuccessively into said path; means for rotating said feeder bythereciprocation of said plunger; means upon said feeder to engage andvdraWa string into such position relative to said feeder that pieces of saidstring are disposed beneath said caps received by said feeder; and meansA `for cutting olf each of said pieces from said string. v

1l. In a vessel capping machine, the combination of: la magazine forstoring caps; a plunger reciprocable in a given path; a rotatable feederfor receiving caps from said magazine andfor carrying them successivelyinto said path; means for rotating said feeder by the reciprocation ofsaid plunger; means upon said feeder to engage and dravv a string intosuch position relative to said feed- `er that pieces of said string aredisposed beneath said caps received by said feeder; and meansfor cuttingoff each of said pieces from said string, said cutting means beingactuated by said plunger substantiallyV concurrently with the engementof a cap by said 'plun ger in a capping strolre of said reciproeation,

12. In a vessel capping machine, the combination of: a magazine forstoring caps; a plunger reciprocable in a given path; a rotatable feederfor receiving caps' from said magazine and for carrying themsuccessively into said path; means for rotating said feeder by thereciprocation of said plunger; means upon said feeder to engage and drawa string into such position relative tosaid feeder that pieces of saidstring are disposed beneath said caps received by said feeder; and meansfor cu'ting off each of said pieces from sa id string when it isdisposed, with the cap above it, in said plunger path, said cuttingmeans being actuated by said plunger` substantially concurrently withengagement of said cap by said plunger in a capping stroke of saidreciprocation.

13. In a vessel capping machine, the combination of: a magazine forstoring caps; a plunger reciprocable in a given path; a rotatable feederfor receiving caps from seid magazine and for carrying them successivelyinto said path; means for rotating said feeder by the reciprocation ofsaid plunger; means upon said feeder to e gage and dravY a string intosuch position relative to said feeder that pieces of said string aredisposed beneath said caps received by said feeder; string-grippingmembers including a station-n ary member and a travelling membereonnected to said plunger and operable to press said string againstsaid` stationary member upon a given movement of said plunger; and acutting member for cutting said string upon a relative movement betweensaid cutting member and said gripping members when the latter aregripping said string.

14. In a vessel capping machine, the combination of: a frame; a capmagazine on said iframe; a. plunger slidably mounted on said frame toreciprocate .in a given path, there being space in said trame; a capfeeder rotatably mounted upon said frame in said space; means forconnecting said feeder to said plunger whereby the reciprocation of theplunger rotates the feeder to feed caps into said path; and meansprovided upon said feeder to place a piece of string beneath each ofsaid caps fed into said path.

15. In a vessel capping machine, the combination of; a frame; 'a capmagazine on said frame; a plunger slidably mounted on said frame toreciprocate in a given path, there being a space in said frame; a capfeeder rotatably mounted upon said frame in said space; means forconnecting said feeder to said plunger whereby the reciprocation of' theplunger rotates the feeder to feed caps into said path; means providedupon said feeder to place a piece of string beneath cach of said capsfed into said path; and cutting means including a. string-grippingmember provided on said frame beneath said feeder and a string-grippingmember slidably mounted on said frame and reciprocated by said plunger,and a. knife provided on said machine so as to be movable relative toone o f said gripping members, said gripping members being adapted tohold said string ightly at two points, and said knife being adapted toContact said string between said points.

16. In a vessel capping machine, the combination of z a magazine forstoring caps a capping member adapted to move toward a vessel forcapping the same; a rotatable member for feeding a cap from saidmagazine into position between said capping member and said vessel;means for actuating said rotatable member; means for holding a string;means for extending a string between said cap and said vessel; and meansfor cutting a piece from said string.

17. In a vessel capping machine, the combination of: a magazine forstoring caps; a capping member adapted to move toward a vessel forcapping the same a rotatable member for feeding a cap from said magazineinto position between said capping lmember and said vessel; means forholding a string; means for extending a string between said cap and saidvessel; and means for cutting a piece from said strinO'.

18. In a vessel capping machine, the combination of: a magazine forstoring caps; a capping member adapted to move toward a vessel forcapping the same; a rotatable member for feeding a cap from saidmagazine into position between said capping member and said vessel; astring magazine; means for drawing a string from said magazine to saidrotatable member between said cap and vessel; and means for cutting apiece from said string.

19. In a vessel capping machine, the com bination of: a magazine forstoring caps; a capping member adapted to move toward a vesselto becapped; a rotatable member for feeding a cap from said magazine betweensaid capping member and vessel; a string magazine; means forsuccessively positioning pieces of said string beneath caps takensuccessively by said feeding'member from said cap storage magazine; andmeans for cutting a piece from said string.

20. The combination as defined in claim 18 in which the string cuttingmeans comprises a gripping member and a spring member which yields topressure of said gripping member to bring the string cutting means intoengagement with the string to be cut.

21. rI'he combination as defined in claim 1 in which the rotatable capfeeding member is provided with means for changing the po sitionthereof.

22. The combination as defined in claim 1 in which said rotatable capfeeding member il il is provided with a recess to allow each cap toexpand equally in all directions as it leaves the rotatable member underpressure of the capping member.

23. The combination as defined in claim 14CV in which the rotatable capfeeder is provided with means for changing the position thereof` for agiven vertical relation between the plunger and the frame.

24. The combination as defined in claim 15 in which the cap feeder isprovided with means for changing its position lfor a given verticalrelation between the plunger and the frame. Y

25. The combination as dened in claim 14 in which said cap feeder isformed with a series of cap openings and wherein means is provided forpositioning a cap opening of the cap feeder in axial alignment with theplunger. 1

26. The combination as defined in claim 1 in which said rotatable memberis formed with a series of cap receiving openings and wherein means isprovided for positioning a cap receiving opening of the rotatable memberin axial alignment with the capping mem Y so ber.

27. In a vessel capping machine,the combination of: a magazine forstoring caps; a plunger reciprocable in a given path; a rotatable feederformed with aseries of openings for receiving caps from said magazineand for carrying them successively into said path; means for positioninga cap receiving open ing in axial alignment with said plunger; meansupon said feeder to engage and draw a string into such position relativeto said feeder that pieces of said string are disposed beneath said capsreceived by said feeder; and means for cutting off each of'said piecesfrom said string after it has been sodisposed, with the cap above it, insaid plunger path.

In testimony whereof, I have hereunto set my hand at Los Angeles,California, this 26th day of February, 1927.

CHARLES L. TURNER.

